The present invention relates to mailboxes and particularly to decorative covers for application on the mailbox.
Of course, the mailbox is a very well-known fixture. In one form, the mailbox is hung on an outer wall of a house. This type of mailbox has worked well in urban neighborhoods where the houses are densely packed and easily covered by the walking postal carrier. However, in rural settings where the postal carrier must deliver by vehicle, the mailboxes are situated at the roadside. Even in urban and suburban neighborhoods, the traditional wall-mounted mailbox has been replaced by the street-side mailbox.
The typical street-side mailbox approved by the U.S. Postmaster General is an elongated box with a curved upper surface. A hinged or pivoting door closes the open end of the box and is held in place by a friction latch. The general configuration of this type of mailbox is depicted in dashed lines in FIG. 1. In particular, the mailbox M includes an elongated hollow body 11 that is closed on five sides. The upper side is curved so that the front and back ends are rectangular at their lower ends but curved at the upper ends. A door 10 closes the open end of the body 11. The door is pivotably mounted to the box by a pivoting mount, such as a hinge 13, at the bottom of the door. A latch 12 at the top of the door frictionally holds the door in its closed position. The latch 12 includes a base 14 that is affixed to the surface of the door and projects downward from the upper edge of the door 10.
The typical “rural-type” mailbox is formed of sheet metal and is frequently corrugated along the length of the body 11 to add rigidity and strength to the body, especially for larger mailboxes. Likewise, the door 10 is typically formed with a peripheral rib 16 around the outer perimeter of the door. The rib thus defines a recessed surface 18 at the interior of the door 10. The rib 16 helps prevent twisting or deformation of the door when it is opened or closed.
Most approved mailboxes are relatively bland in appearance. Many mailboxes are painted, often to match a neighborhood decor. There are many devices that have been developed to enhance the appearance of the body 11 of the mailbox. One basic approach incorporates a rigid structure that is mechanically mounted over the mailbox body. One example of this approach is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,035,356.
In another approach, a sheet of material is mounted over the mailbox body. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,595 shows a decorative overlay that is mechanically affixed to the lower edges of the mailbox body using removable fasteners. In another approach, U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,769 describes a polypropylene cover that is contoured to fit over the top of the mailbox body. The cover sheet includes magnetic strips adhered at the opposite side edges for magnetic attachment of the sheet to the mailbox body. The cover sheet can carry personal messages, as depicted in the patent.
A similar approach was taken in U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,379, except that the cover sheet is applied to the mailbox body by a pressure sensitive adhesive coating exposed by removing a peel-off backing sheet. Of course, with this design, the cover sheet is not easily removed, and may require scraping or chemical treatment to strip from the mailbox body. On the other hand, the entire back surface cover sheet includes the adhesive coating so that the sheet is more solidly affixed to the mailbox than the cover in the '769 Patent.
All of these approaches help spruce up the traditional post-mounted mailbox, and more particularly the body of the mailbox. However, none of these approaches suggest a way to decorate or individualize the door of the mailbox. A homeowner may not wish to have the entire mailbox body decorated, or the neighborhood covenants may not permit deviation from an identified mailbox color scheme. In addition, the prior covers are either substantially permanently attached or mechanically mounted to the mailbox body, making replacement extremely difficult when the homeowner desires a change in ornamentation. Other mailbox covers are only tenuously mounted to the mailbox so that they can be easily dislodged by heavy weather or drive-by vandalism. Moreover, the prior removably mounted mailbox body covers leave gaps between the cover and the underlying metal mailbox. Water can readily collected in these gaps, inevitably leading to rusting of the mailbox body.
Consequently, there remains a need for a decorative mailbox cover, and particularly a cover that is suited for mounting on the door of the mailbox. The cover must be readily removable and replaceable by covers having different decorative indicia.